Friday Night Rodeo

We were able to meet my parents, my cousin and her granddaughter for a rodeo in Fort Worth last night. I've been to them before here and always enjoy it. Though I do cringe during the calf roping - the calves are so cute, I just want to hug and kiss them. Luckily, the calves were pretty agile last night and not many got roped ;) fine by me! 

They always start with "Proud to be an American" and a cowboy making laps, getting faster as the song goes on. It gets me every time! There is even a prayer before the action begins. 

There were some good rides, but no one rode 8 seconds. They're on their 4th consecutive weekend without a "qualified" ride (riding for 8 seconds), which sounds like is record setting for them. Either way, I enjoy it! The bulls sure give them all they've got. 

These bulls have moves. 

After his ride, this stubborn bull didn't want to leave the ring. One of the assisting cowboys lassoed him and was pulling the bull on the end of his lasso - you can see the bull digging in his front feet to avoid being pulled. Stubborn as a bull. 

This is where the cowboy lassoes the calf, hops off the horse and has to tie up the calf's 4 legs with the end of the lasso. It's all timed and man, one guy was super fast! The little calves are sure cute - and fast! 

Here's the kid-calf scramble. They put a piece of duct tape on the back of a calf and the kids run around and try to grab it. It lets the kids run off energy and is pretty darn funny to see the flock of kids trying to catch the calf. 

Team roping. One cowboy ropes the calf's front legs while the other cowboy ropes the back legs. Talk about teamwork! If the first guy misses, the attempt is over. 

There were cowgirls too! They did a few events - one is barrel racing, one of my favorites. They have to direct their horses to circle 3 barrels and race to the finish line - fastest time wins. 

And more bull riding! 

Bull: 1.  Cowboy: 0. 

In front of the coliseum at the stockyards. 

With my cousin Lana and her granddaughter, Jasmine. They've loved their Texas vacation! 

Due to our schedules, I didn't get to see my dad on father's day - so we took our Father's Day photo last night. 

My photos are all blurry from the concert, but our tickets from the rodeo got us into Billy Bob's for free (remember me posting about Billy Bob's here and here back in the day?). Chris Cagle was there and we were lucky to catch a few of his last songs of the night. Icing on the cake to a great Texas Friday night. 

I'm off to enjoy the rest of the weekend. I hope you enjoy yours too!

Today's Pinspiration:

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Springy Fun & Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

I went to a dinner this week benefitting a charity with co-workers. It was a great event and such a beautiful spring night!

The event was held at Joe T. Garcia's - their patio is gorgeous! 

The food spread was delicious. I never know what to expect eating out where I haven't planned ahead what I can eat. There was a lot in the family style dinner I could eat.  

I love seeing signs of spring around - these are at my parents house. 

There is no color modification on this flower - it's wildly bright! 

The beauty of spring & renewed life is captivating. 

 Nick traveled for work this week, so it was just Ranger and I. I attempted a selfie and he yawned, making it a blurry, yet pretty funny shot! 

 Our nephew Hank turned one this week! I can't believe it. Where did tiny baby Hank go?! He's just starting to walk too which will be fun to see! 

I tried another flavor of Kombucha - this one was much more mild and easier to drink than the first one I tried (Trilogy - in this same brand). 

Here was my "TGIF!" face on Friday - ready for the weekend and ready to see Nick after his trip! I also love love this necklace & earrings set from Sam Moon! 

Friday night snuggles. Ranger is a silly boy! 

My mom and I ran errands at the Stockyards yesterday (and I got treated, let me tell you! Thank you, mom!). We had a delicious lunch at Riscky's - it's always good there. I had a (gluten & dairy free) grilled chicken salad with avocado & bacon. The bacon was amazing! I need to make some bacon salads at home:)

I'm always entertained by the Cowboy 10 Commandments on the wall at Riscky's. 

Typical Stockyards picture. I just can't help it, it's so charming! 

Thursday night, I made these muffins. They're so good, I have to share! They're a good way to use any bananas that went bad too - don't toss them! Dark/black bananas are great for baking with. 

Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
Recipe adapted slightly from The Minimalist Baker (check out her photos - mine don't do these muffins justice!)
Makes 12 Muffins 

 Ingredients:

• 2 eggs 
• 4 medium ripe bananas (don’t worry about measurements – it’s forgiving)
• Heaping 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup butter (I used Earth Balance to make them dairy free) or coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1.5 cups flour (I use Bob's Red Mill (gluten free flour) - you can use regular flour instead)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Crumble Topping:

• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 5 Tbsp flour (I again used Bob's Red Mill - use whatever you prefer!)
• 2 Tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a standard size muffin tin or line the tin with cupcake liners (mine made 12 full muffins)
2. Add eggs to a bowl.
3. Add banana and mash, leaving just a bit of texture.
4. Add brown sugar, baking soda, salt and whisk for one minute.
5. Stir in vanilla, melted butter and mix.
6. Add flour and oats and stir with a spoon or spatula until just combined. Lastly, fold in walnuts (optional).
7. Divide batter evenly among muffin tins, filling a generous 3/4 full (I filled mine full but it didn't leave much room for the topping, so leave a little room at the top).
8. Quickly wipe your mixing bowl and add crumble ingredients. Prepare crumble top by mashing ingredients together with a fork until crumbly like wet sand. Generously top muffins with streusel. 
9. Bake for 17-22 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes, remove from muffin tin and serve warm. Once completely cooled, store in a covered container at room temp for several days. Freeze for longer term storage.

Today's Pinspiration:

I love this - encouragement is one of my favorite things to pass along. Taking time to care is huge too - we've been talking about using our talents at church these past few weeks - giving our time to others can be such a gift. 

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80's in November

Over the weekend, my Aunt Jan came to visit! It's been great spending time with her and showing her around the area. Her and my mom had plans Saturday night, so my dad and I used the opportunity to see the movie Courageous.

We splurged and got the LARGE popcorn and pop.

 We loved the movie and kept talking about it the rest of the night and the next day. There's so much to take from the movie, I definitely recommend it and I want to see it again. If you've seen it, let me know what you thought! Here's the trailer:

The next day, we took Aunt Jan to the Stockyards. I always love it there. We also had great weather! It's been in the low 80's the past few days which we have been loving.

 Of course, we had to put her in jail :)

 We got to see where the bulls hang out in their off time...

We also got to see their names

 One of my favorite {fancy} shops at the Stockyards all decked out for Christmas

Mom and Aunt Jan at Billy Bob's next to Willie Nelson's hand prints.

Filthy McNasty's (great name, isn't it? :)) was having concerts all day as a fundraiser so we checked that out for a little bit before the cattle drive

 Aunt Jan was brave enough to get on the bull! Yes, he's real...

The world's only twice daily cattle drive

 

Not sure when I'll see these guys again (can you tell I'm a bit sentimental about leaving?), but I'll be back...

We've been having a great time. Now I'm back to thinking about what the upcoming weeks have in store and trying not to worry about the unknown that lies ahead. Those of you that know me well know the unknown isn't my comfy place to be, but it's what this season calls for and we'll make it! Thanks to all of you thinking of and praying for us.